A Precarious Exsistence

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

  • 8/6/2019 A Precarious Exsistence

    1/4

    A precarious exsistence:-

    1. 6 billion ppl in the world livin in precarious existence half in cities and half in

    rural areas.

    2. It is estimated that about half of the worlds population lives on less than 2

    dollars per day

    3. Of 3 billion in cities 1 billion in slums and in 50 yesrs no is expected to

    increase by 300%

    4. 3 billion in rural areas produce food for themselves or to sell it to others.

    5. People in rural areas live in difficult existence but ppl with lands can atleast

    provide food to their families.

    6. A large no of migrants to cities in the third world is underway. around 20 to

    30 million a year.

    7. They move either because they are pushed of their lands or they are in

    search of oppurtunities in urban areas after being confounded by difficult

    situation in villages.

    8. In new cities opportunities created by urbanization and industrialization and

    the need of pl in agri reduced due to mechanization.(core countries 16th to

    19th century and continued to 20th century)

    9. In third world countries ppl from villages are migrating into towns which donot have sufficient jobs for them and this trned is even continuing even

    today.

    Why are so many hungry?

    1. Ideally hunger should be confine to times of draught flood famine etc

    2. Malnutrition has disastrous effects in terms of poor physical and mental

    development of children, difficulty in learning and susceptibility to diseases

    3. Hunger a major problem in citis as ppl dont have land as they are forced out

    of the land by capitalist issues and the economy cant provide enuf jobs.smal

    trading or crime.

    4. There is enuf food in all countries and chronic malnutrition and food

    insecurity are due to lack of money and not insufficient production.Eg US and

    INDIA

  • 8/6/2019 A Precarious Exsistence

    2/4

    5. India wheat rotting when ppl were malnutriotioned.

    6. In US requests for Requests of food s growing even in the developed cities

    from the charities and govt organizations.

    7. Main reason under capitalism food is jus another commodity >ppl have no

    more legal right to food than they have to any other commodity.

    Let them Eat free trade:

    1. Trade deregulation(neoliberal policies) is causing food to be imported as the

    IMF and World bank think that this will help solve problem of the third world

    countries by the policy:

    Make full use of the commodities that the country is good in producing and

    export them which can earn foreign revenue and as a result buy the needed

    commodities.

    2. This leads to debt and currency crises in the third world due to excessive

    borrowing.

    3. Also the repatriation of profits to the capitalist industries of the other

    countries increases the financial issues.

    4. This stimulates them to produce and export more of the goods that are in

    demand neglecting the needs of the local population also this results in less

    subsidies and grants by the govt for local needs.

    5. Besides reducing subsidies privatization which is an agenda of neoliberal

    policies has also compounded problems.

    6. Imp to note that when there is a proposal for free trade history shows that all

    the so called developed nations have progressed today as a result of

    regulatin their trade policies and even today they protect their own trade

    interests.

    Devastating affects:

    1. Ex:Malawi,Africa.(reduction in fertilizer availability)

    2. Problem with phillipines production couldnt match low cost production ofthe developed nations like US (subsidized agriculture) and this resulted in

    farmers in farmers distresses.

    3. Vietnam is now 12% producer of coffee in the world due to increased

    production for export resulting in a glut and prices decling which have

    resulted in increased profits for businesses as the products of such goods

    rarely falls so little.

  • 8/6/2019 A Precarious Exsistence

    3/4

    The WTO and Cancum; a challenge to the centre:

    1. Is free trade really so free??? is a question put forth by periphery country

    leaders.

    2. Us against it own formed rules prviding a high degree of subsidy to farmers

    and also to the purchasers of locally produced commodities like

    cotton.resultin in artificial reduction in prices in the world and causing losses

    to peripheral countries.

    3. Deadlock in cancum meeting of WTO where india and brazil refused to accept

    a few laws

    False hopes about subsidies:-

    1. Only reducing subsidies to US farmers wotn help as ther are may other

    factors that have to be taken into consideration.

    2. Imporving mechanization in order tht the tird world farmers are competitive

    results in higher unemployment and higher hunger problems.

    3. Only about a 20 capitalist farmers might be able to produce all the agri needs

    of the world but the billions that might be displaced wont be able to find jobs

    and aas a result will beleft stranded with no means of existence.

    Critical obstacles:

    1. Competition among the countries in the periphery is one more

    obstacle.excess coffee in Vietnam and brazil excess rice in India.

    2. Privatizing state owned agri is also a problem not a solution.

    3. Decrease in subsidies for fertilizers in africa (they aer sometimes out of reach

    of the farmers)

    4. Greatest threat to farmers in periphery is corporate control over the worlds

    food supply in the name of free trade and free markets.

    5. Agribusiness translationals present in many countries and only 10% of the

    value sold oes to farmers

    Is there a way out:

  • 8/6/2019 A Precarious Exsistence

    4/4